The Lonestar Rattlers

For those guys who don't just want to kill a deer but have the deep need to whack a buck, rattling offers a good lure to bring 'em in! So what is rattling? It means to smack something together to imitate the sound of fighting bucks. Let's start with your options for smacking.

Until recently my favorite rattling instruments were empty beer bottles. I decided that it would be more environmentally friendly to use my empties this way instead of littering the floor of the woods with them. I gave this technique up last year after cutting up my hands. So I'm back to pitching. You might want to try the commercially available fake antlers or rattling bags. If you are lucky enough to have real antlers to rattle try soaking them in motor oil in the off season to help them retain their density and realistic timber.

Now for the brass tacks. Does rattling work? As they say in the great state of Texas - Hail yes! As a matter of fact, a Texan named Dr.Mick Hellison and two associated Rx types, Dr. Larry Marchinton and Dr. Charles DeYoung studied the effectiveness of various rattling techniques in depth at a place called the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation. These boys are definitely not all hat and no cattle. They delivered some eye opening insight into callin' in the big boys.

One quick caveat - this was all based on one 7800 acre ranch in Texas with one whitetail per eight acres, a one to two buck to doe ratio, and a balanced age structure. So, if you live in one of those God-forsaken states with long rifle seasons and/or high limits on bucks so that there are no bucks older than 1-1/2 years old don't expect rattling to bring in a monster. Move or become a two-stepping titular troubadour if you want big racks.

These great Texans put out massive and long-winded academic type discourse not suitable for the average beer-swilling, elitist, cedar-arrow-slinging, wool-clad, civil-war-era-but-still-neat-facial-hair, and-yet-proudly-sport-a-mullet, Mongo and Tard Outdoor Shack type. So we have broken all their research into these simple rules:

1) During the pre-rut rattle for three minutes and then shut up for seven minutes repeat two more times and then wait half an hour and start over.

2) During the rut rattle for one minute then shut up for nine minutes repeat two more times and then wait for half an hour and start over.

3) During the post rut use either sequence above.

4) Rattle like a two-bit Dallas hoor. Make as much noise as you can by smacking, bashing, and cracking your fake rack together while you break branches and kick the bushes and do everything possible to put on a show short of calling out to your maker!!!!!

5) Rattle from a tree stand since 57% of test rattlers got busted on the ground.

6) Rattling in the morning is most effective pre-rut. During the rut and post-rut morning and evening are even. Midday is least effective for all phases but still worth doing.

7) Your best chance of calling in bucks is during the rut follow by pre-rut and then post-rut. Your best chance for a trophy comes during the pre or post rut period.

Well, that sums it up. If bucks are what you are in it for try rattling to get your chance at a trophy. Complete information on this study can be found in the April 2003 issue of the NRA's American Hunter, page 35, "The Science of Rattling" by Kathy Etling. Don't let the anti-gun, anti-hunter, anti-all-things-male crowd do the divide and conquer thing on us. All bow hunters should support gun hunters and trappers so that our nations great heritage and unalienable freedoms are preserved. Help the NRA stop them on the beaches! Join the NRA and get their great hunting magazine for free.

And remember - YOU OWN THE HERD!!!